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Sunday, 19 May 2013

Final Fate!

It's Finally Ready!

Huzzah! Fate Core!

The FATE Core proof is finished editing and will be off to the printers! They speculate the physical and electronic copies should be available come July, but as a project backer I get the privilege of getting a copy of the PDF now!

Much to my own shame I didn't assist at all in proofreading and giving feedback on this kickstarter project, partially because I didn't want to spoil it for myself. And I put my trust in entirely in the staff at Evil Hat Productions and all the other gamers who provided input. Now that it's done, I get to fully enjoy it.

Some brief points of interest quickly glancing through the PDF:

They added a section called Veteran's Guide, that lists the major changes to the system from Spirit of the Century and Dresden Files. Makes it easy for players' of these systems to see the differences.

They dropped the general number of character aspects from 7 or 10 to 5, which sounds like a good idea to me given that I've seen first hand how coming up with 10 aspects in SotC can be a bit of a waste of time considering you might only use half of them. They say you can raise the number of aspects above 5, but suggest not going above 7.

Stress boxes work like Dresden Files, which I prefer over how SotC handles stress.

Mechanics are no longer based upon a binary succeed/failure. There are now four outcomes. Yay for non-binary results!

Actions are simplified into into four groups: Attack, Create An Advantage, Defend, and Overcome.

The Cheat Sheet page puts all the rules in one spot, and provides the page numbers for each. Damn good idea, as it's easier than looking up a rule via the index.

Wheee! Fate Accelerated!

I'd be remiss not to mention Fate Accelerated Edition is also hot on Fate Core's heels to the printer, and the PDF's are also available to the backers. As some of you know, and may guess by the name, Fate Accelerated is a super slimmed-down, streamlined version of Fate Core, weighing in around 50 pages (for $5!). Designed for grab-and-go, pick up, and last minute games, FAE is looks great from what I've seen.
Here's a brief overview:

Characters are given 3 to 5 aspects

Skills/Tasks are streamlined into Approaches: [Careful, Clever, Flashy, Forceful, Quick, and Sneaky] You select one at Good (+3), two at Fair (+2), two at Average (+1), and one at Mediocre (+0).

Normally you begin with one Stunt, and most Stunts give you a +2 bonus. You start with three Refresh, and is reduced by one for each Stunt you gain after your three free ones.

Doing stuff: Choose one of the four Actions, decide your Approach, roll 4dF, add bonuses, modify with aspects if necessary, and figure out outcome.

That all aside, I recorded a Vlog last night, where I talk about our last session of Dresden Files and what lies ahead for that gaming group (new characters, new stories), a couple neat finds at a local store, and my current thoughts on the upcoming Victoria Steam Expo.

And one final tidbit: the Missus' and I were out gardening and I managed to take a shot of this beautiful Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.